The Dubai Electricity And Water Authority, or DEWA, is seeking developers for the fifth phase of the 5,000-MW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. The latest development, with a capacity of 900 MW, will be commissioned in stages starting in the second quarter of 2021, according to the authority.

Dubai aims to source 7% of its power from renewable sources in 2020, 25% in 2030 and 75% by 2050. DEWA CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said Dubai needs a total capacity of 42,000 MW of renewable energy to meet its Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

Dubai is a part of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, which is implementing a strategy to increase the contribution of clean energy to its total energy mix from 25% to 50% by 2050. The UAE government plans to invest 600 billion dirhams by 2050 to meet its growing energy demand and ensure sustainable economic growth.

Thailand is also banking on solar — floating solar, in this case — to power its economy and increase its renewable resources, Bloomberg News reported.

The state-owned Electricity Generating Authority Of Thailand, or EGAT, is planning to float 16 solar farms in nine of its hydroelectric dam reservoirs by 2037. The company plans to also install lithium-ion battery storage across the system in the future, according to the report.

The floating solar farms will have a capacity of more than 2.7 GW, more than twice the 1.3 GW of total installed floating solar worldwide as of October 2018, according to Bloomberg. The ambitious plan is expected to account for one-tenth of Thailand's clean energy sources.

The Southeast Asian country will begin the bidding for the first floating solar project in May. The bidding, which will allow international companies to participate, is for a 45-MW farm at Sirindhorn Dam expected to cost around 2 billion baht, or $63 million.

Thailand's Energy Ministry aims to double its installed renewable power capacity to 30% by 2030, according to the Bangkok Post. To date, EGAT's important renewable projects have been mostly hydroelectric power plants, according to its website.

Denmark plans to solicit bids on the 800-MW Thor offshore wind project in 2019. The Danish government has decided to build the facility off Nissum Fjord in the North Sea, Renewables Now reported.

"The forthcoming offshore wind farm will be our largest and it will make a major contribution to local growth and the green transition," said Danish Energy, Supply and Climate Minister Lars Christian Lilleholt. "Offshore wind is a Danish specialty, and the North Sea is well on its way to becoming a Silicon Valley for offshore wind."

According to Offshore Wind Journal, all parties of the country's parliament agreed to construct three new offshore wind farms by 2030. Thor is the first of those projects. Denmark aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

Elsewhere

* Maoneng Australia Pty Ltd. and John Laing Group plc have started construction of the 255-MW Sunraysia solar farm in Australia.

* In Chile, NEC Energy Solutions Inc. commissioned a 2-MW/2-MWh lithium ion battery energy storage system for Engie Energia Chile SA

* The European Investment Bank will provide Gambia a €142 million loan for its solar energy and power distribution project, according to Africa News. The initiative is backed by the European Union and the World Bank.

* South Korea-based solar manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS Co. Ltd. is suing rivals JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. and REC Silicon ASA in Germany and Longi in the U.S. for patent infringement, according to pv magazine.

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